Flying cars could soon become a viable reality with AeroMobil, which has just announced the launch of its radical flying car which consumers can actually buy this year.
According to The Sun, a prototype of the flying car/plane hybrid will be shown next week in Monaco during the Supercar show Grimaldi Forum from April 20 to 24. Pre-orders are said to start later this year. "AeroMobil is a completely integrated aircraft as well as a fully functioning four-wheeled car, powered by hybrid propulsion," the company said in a statement.
AeroMobil is a Slovak pioneering company. It first revealed its flying car concept - the AeroMobil 3.0 - in 2014 in Vienna, Austria.
The Sun reported that the flying car, designed for medium distance trips, is fully functional as both an aircraft and a four-wheeled car. Powered by hybrid propulsion, the vehicle's wings will sweep back against the body when in driving mode.
"By combining aero and car functionality in perfect harmony, it heralds a new era in efficient and exciting travel, offering users an unparalleled choice of transport on the road or in the air," an AeroMobil spokesperson told The Sun.
In compliance with the existing regulatory frameworks for both cars and airplanes, the publication suggests that anyone vying to buy the flying car should have their driving and pilot license prepared.
According to Design Boom, the company Aeromobil, which just recently received $3.2 M in investment funding, revealed that the next-generation flying car will feature hundreds of improvements in both design and engineering compared to the original AeroMobil 3.0 prototype.
AeroMobil, led by Juraj VaculiK, CEO and Douglas McAndrew, CTO, is yet to announce the price of the flying car. Interest for flying cars peaked in the 1960s. If proven successful, AeroMobil's 3.0 will become the first commercially available air-to-sky vehicle.